Nation in brief: Consultants quit McCain campaign

Sen. John McCain’s advertising consultants have resigned from his presidential campaign, the latest in a rash of staff shake-ups in recent weeks.

McCain communications director Jill Hazelbaker on Wednesday described the departure of Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens as amicable and said the Arizona Republican “appreciates their service” but accepted their resignations when they were offered Monday night.

Schriefer and Stevens were part of George W. Bush’s campaign team in 2000 and 2004 and Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign. The Wall Street Journal first reported the departures Wednesday night.

Aides downplayed their departure as a sign of a troubled campaign that has struggled financially and has been hit hard by the senator’s support for the war in Iraq and failed immigration reforms.

WASHINGTON

GOP threatens revolt on farm bill

A multibillion-dollar farm bill already facing a White House veto threat ran into new challenges Wednesday as farm-state Republicans threatened to defect from the measure in a spat over taxes.

Just hours after the White House said the bill failed to cut growers’ subsidies enough, Republicans said they would withdraw support for the legislation scheduled for the House floor today if Democrats pressed ahead with last-minute plans to include a tax increase.

A proposal to tax certain foreign-owned companies with U.S. subsidiaries would pay for $4 billion in food stamps and other nutrition programs.

GOP officials said their rank-and-file members, including those from rural states that would benefit from the farm bill, would not support what they viewed as a massive business tax increase.

DENVER

Disputed professor sues university

A professor who was fired after comparing some Sept. 11 victims to a Nazi sued the school Wednesday, saying officials retaliated against him for exercising his right to free speech.

Ward Churchill was ousted by the University of Colorado’s governing Board of Regents after three faculty committees accused him of plagiarism, fabrication and other research misconduct.

Churchill, a tenured professor of ethnic studies, had triggered a national outcry with an essay comparing some World Trade Center victims to Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann.

The regents said his dismissal was based on other writings and that his firing was unrelated to his Sept. 11 comments.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Churchill’s lawyer, David Lane, said earlier that reinstatement was “definitely on the table” if Churchill wins.

LAKE CITY, Fla.

Assault hotline routes to sex chat

The state attorney general’s office removed the toll-free number for a sexual assault counseling center from its Web site after an 8-year-old girl was connected instead to a sex chat line.

The North Central Florida Sexual Assault Center shut down months ago, and the company that runs the chat line bought the number.

The girl’s mother, Karen Carter, said her daughter called because she witnessed inappropriate behavior and was upset over it. Carter said it was nothing serious enough to involve authorities.

“I convinced my daughter this phone call was going to help her,” Carter told WCJB-TV of Gainesville. “But it made things immensely worse.”

The chat line’s number has been removed from the attorney general’s Web site, and his office has apologized to the girl’s family.